Probation in incident at Dirksen

A schizophrenic Chicago man who tossed a flaming backpack into Dirksen Federal Building last summer was sentenced Friday to 5 years' probation and participation in a mental-health program.

Luke Jemmot, 32, has been in federal custody since he was subdued by FBI agents shortly after the incident, which injured no one. Jemmot pleaded guilty to damaging federal property after he set toilet paper rolls on fire in his backpack, ran into the building at 219 S. Dearborn St. and threw the bag across the lobby floor. He then shouted biblical references and threatened President Bush.

"I apologize for disrespecting the court place for the United States, and I hope the American people will forgive me for that," the Belize native told U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning.

Manning said Jemmot will spend his first 5 months in community confinement with the Salvation Army. She said he did not belong in prison.

His attorney, John P. DeRose, said his client was homeless and had vision and hearing impairments along with serious psychological ailments that cause him to act "quite bizarre." However, he said, as long as Jemmot was taking his medication, he is compliant and "will never be a concern to this community."

Worries that the backpack contained a bomb prompted a partial evacuation of the building, and several CTA stops in the Loop were closed.